Part 9 (2/2)

His library was sold in Paris; the catalogue was headed, ”Catalogue des livres de la bibliotheque de feu le citoyen Bourbon Busset, 20, nivose an XI.”

Another curious souvenir of the reverses sustained during the revolutionary period exists in the plate of ”Andre Gaspard Parfait, Comte de Bizemont-Prunele”. Dessine et grave par Ch. Gaucher, de l'Acad.

des Arts de Londres, 1781.

In the same year the Comte de Bizemont-Prunele etched an ex-libris for his wife, Marie Catherine d'Hallot, with a design of a somewhat remarkable nature considering the period. He represented himself amongst some ruins carving their arms on a pedestal. Thirteen years later we find this n.o.bleman, a refugee in England, earning his living as a drawing master. His business card, of ornamental design, bears the words: ”M. Bizemont, Drawing Master, No. 19 Norton Street, near Portland Street. Bizemont Sc. London, 1794.”

[Ill.u.s.tration: BOOK-PLATE OF THOMAS PAPILLON, ESQ.]

Alexis Foissey, of Dunkirk, removed the coronet from his ex-libris to make way for ”Equality”; P. M. Gillet, deputy from Morbihan, adopted the cap of liberty, with the motto, ”Liberte, Egalite”; and J. B. Michaud, on his plate, dated 1791, also has the Phrygian cap, with a ribbon inscribed, ”La Liberte ou la Mort.”

Above is the book-plate of Thomas Papillon, Esq., evidently engraved in England within the last century, bearing on the first and fourth quarters the canting arms of the old French family of Papillon (b.u.t.terfly).

The last Papillon of whom we read in French history was one Denis-Pierre-Jean Papillon de la Ferte, intendant des Menus-plaisirs du Roi, who was born in 1727, and guillotined on the 7th of July, 1794, by the Republicans. Probably Thomas Papillon was a relative who managed to escape, or one of his descendants, as the arms are very similar, being thus blazoned by Guigard: _D'azur, au chevron d'argent accompagne en chef de 2 Papillons d'or, et en pointe d'un coq hardi du meme_. The last charge being the only dissimilarity.

A short time since, a collector in Paris purchased a cover on which was a small mean-looking, printed book-label, under which showed the edges of another. On putting the cover to soak no less than three plates were found, the lowest one being as follows; an armorial plate, below the s.h.i.+eld ”Bibliotheque de Mr. de Villiers du Terrage, Pr. Commis des Finances.” This plate, signed _Branche_, had been covered during the revolutionary period by a simple typographical label, reading ”Bibliotheque du Citoyen Marc-Etienne Villiers,” omitting all t.i.tles, and heraldic decorations, subst.i.tuting the word ”citoyen” in their place, and the whole surrounded by plain border lines.

Later on the book pa.s.sed into other hands, and a still more humble plate was placed upon it, a small label having only the words ”Bibliotheque Le Cauchoix Ferraud.” This democratic individual, who suppressed even the word ”citoyen” on his label, does not live in history, nor would he have been mentioned here but that his poor little ticket probably saved two interesting plates from destruction.

”Ex libris Rihan de la Forest” with arms and coronet; then over that was a plain label with the simple inscription, ”Ex libris la Forest”; that again covered by a lugubrious-looking plate, ”Ex libris la Forest,”

surmounted by a cap of liberty, on a pike, and ”La liberte ou la mort”

printed around it.

To these many others may be added, such as the ex-libris of ”Le Prince de Beaufond,” which was altered to ”Charles-Louis Le-prince,” and the elaborate heraldic book-plate of the Marquis de Fortia, which was covered by a simple printed label: ”Ce livre fait partie de la bibliotheque de M. de Fortia d'Urban, demeurant a Paris, rue de la Rochefoucaud (_sic_), No. 21, division du Mont Blanc.”

M. Pigou covered his arms and coronet of a Marquis with a plain label in which the name _Pigou_ was surrounded by a garland of roses.

But in those troubled times most men of any position had far more serious topics to occupy their minds than the planning of ex-libris for their books, and indeed the poor heraldic engravers found their business coming to an end, and one of them, M. Crussaire, finding himself without work, advertised that he would gladly execute ”tout espece de sujets serieux ou agreables relatifs aux diverses circonstances de la Revolution, pour boites, bon-bonnieres, boutons, medaillons.”

One of the last ex-libris belonging to the period of the First Republic, and carrying republican emblems, is that bearing the name of Adjudant General Villatte, who was promoted to that rank on February 5, 1799. His plate bears the Roman fasces surmounted by the cap of liberty, and, oddly enough for a military man, a shepherd's crook and hat, whilst two doves, or pigeons, complete this incongruous design.

From 1789 to the coronation of Napoleon I. as Emperor in 1804, the use of book-plates was considerably restricted.

Pauline Burghese, a sister of Napoleon, rose superior to heraldic or t.i.tular pretensions. She was a sister of Napoleon, that was enough, and her gift book-plate, dated 1825, is but a plain little label:

EX LEGATO Sororis Napoleonis _Paullinae Burghesiae_ A.D. MDCCCXXV.

Charles Ambroise Caffarelli, whose plate is in what has been called _le style panache de l'Empire_, was Canon of Toul in 1789, but took the oath to the Const.i.tution on the outbreak of the Revolution. He suffered imprisonment in 1793, gained favour under Napoleon, who created him a prefet. He afterwards devoted himself to the study of political economy, and died in 1826 (after seeing many changes of government), under the rule of the Bourbons, his first patrons.

[Ill.u.s.tration: BOOK-PLATE OF CH. AMB. CAFFARELLI.]

Jean Baptiste Jourdan, who was one of the most famous marshals of Napoleon's army, began life as a private soldier; under the First Republic he obtained promotion, and swore that his sword should always be drawn in defence of the rights of the people, and against all kings.

Yet he afterwards accepted t.i.tles and honours from Napoleon, whom he deserted to serve under Louis XVIII., and issued a manifesto to his soldiers asking their fidelity to the restored Bourbons. For this he was rewarded by being created a Chevalier of the Royal and Military Order of St. Louis. When Napoleon returned to Paris from Elba the Marechal Jourdan was again ready to do him service, and his fidelity was rewarded by an imperial decree dated 4 June, 1815, creating him a Count and Peer of France. Jourdan was born at Limoges in 1762; he died in 1833.

[Ill.u.s.tration: BOOK-PLATE OF THE MARSHAL JOURDAN.]

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